Burned out
by Leithriel
Summary: Snippets of Marineford. And feels. Lots of feels. Also mostly Ace-centric, for obvious reasons. Also, some chapters will feature the repeat POVs of certain characters.
1. The catalyst

Every war had a catalyst.

Sometimes it was a bag of treasure. Sometimes it was political gain of some sort. Sometimes it was a dispute between two warring sides that needed to be settled.

Sometimes it was because an example needed to be set.

And sometimes the reason was saving a loved one, whether they be your lover, your best friend, or a part of your family.

The last two reasons were the case in this particular war.

I watched the battlefield from my vantage position as a guest of honor.

I saw people fighting left and right, people risking their very lives.

It wasn't right. It wasn't worth it.

"Let's seize this chance!" I heard Whitebeard roar

I heard the rest of his commanders roar back in clear approval.

I saw blood being spilled.

And with each sight of someone's blood being spilled, or with each sound of fighting, my heart grew heavier and heavier.

Yes, I was a guest of honor, or more like, the guest of honor.

After all, this whole war...

Was being fought because of me.

And it wasn't right.

Blood was getting spilled because of me.

I didn't deserve it. Didn't deserve my family spilling their blood for someone as worthless as me.

Yet their mind was made up.

And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I was the catalyst for this war.


	2. Kindness

People never saw beyond the obvious.

All the Marines saw was a bloodline that needed to be extinguished. They never saw the person behind all that.

They never saw the real Ace-kun.

Pops and his crew had.

And so have I.

I saw his kindness first-hand.

I was one of the recipients of said kindness, after all.

Many saw kindness as a weakness, one that would leave someone vulnerable and in a perfect position to be backstabbed by their so-called friends.

And that was the load of bullshit, as far as I was concerned.

People like Teach believed that every ounce of kindness shown to them is just a tool for their own gain, and then turn around and spit at the very people who had shown them kindness.

Kindness wasn't something that should be abused.

Kindness was something to be returned with an interest.

Ace-kun deserved the world.

And I was gonna give it to him. The hat resting on my back - the very one he gave me - was an embodiment of my pledge to him. The pledge that I would save him or die trying.

I might be allied to Pops right now, but my loyalty to him came secondary.

My loyalty was to Ace-kun first and foremost.

After all, it was through Ace-kun that I even met Pops.

Therefore, when he gave me an order to back-off, I chose to disobey said order without hesitation.

And Pops understood.

Of course he'd understand.

We came prepared, after all.

Prepared to rescue our comrade. Our family.

And we'll do it.

We'll save Ace-kun, no matter what.


	3. Pillars

Each of them saw him differently.

For Marco, he was someone who had yet to find his place in the world.

For Izo, he was someone who showed nothing but acceptance concerning his preferences.

For Haruta, he was someone eager to participate in their pranks.

For Namur, he was someone who was thrown overboard in regular periods, and Namur was the one who had to fish him out most of the time. But he was also someone who never showed any prejudice towards Fishmen.

For Vista, he was a bright youth, eager to learn the ways of the sword.

For Jiru, he was someone who valued simpler things in life, such as a good old pint of ale.

For Rakuyo, he was good company.

For Blenheim, he was someone who could tell great stories.

For Blamenco, he was a bottomless pit with antics that could entertain someone for hours.

For Jozu, he was someone who had wild curiosity that begged to be satisfied, especially when his diamond body was concerned.

For Fossa, he was a piece that the puzzle couldn't do without.

For Curiel, he was a fellow loner.

For Kingdew, he was an enigma.

For Atmos, he was a good person.

For Doma, he was an epitome of raw strength, strength that needed to be cultivated, but strength which was there nonetheless.

For Squardo, he was a friend.

They all viewed him differently, yes, but there was something in him they all saw. That something was hidden darkness that threatened to consume him if left unchecked. Darkness that he hid behind that bright smile of his. Darkness that they could keep at bay.

And so, on that day, on the day that he needed them the most, they all shouted in one voice. Shouted loud enough for him to hear. For the feelings in their hearts were meant for him and him alone. He needed to hear, needed to understand, how much they truly cared for him. Then maybe his inner darkness would disappear.

"Just you wait!"

"We are coming to get you!

"Nobody who hurts you should be allowed to live, Ace! So live, live for us!"

He was their youngest brother, and his soul shone brightly, though that brightness was obscured by the darkness of his self-hate. He was the kind of person who needed pillars to hold him up, otherwise, the strong, yet broken structure that he was would crumble into dust. And they were more than happy to be said pillars.


	4. A waste

It had been a waste.

And it still was.

If only he had joined us, things would have ended differently.

I knew strength when I saw it.

Now that strength was rotting away six feet under.

Pity.

This was my era, and he could have been one of the greats alongside me.

But he chose this path instead.

Then again, I should have expected nothing less.

He had always been wasteful.

He wasted good food, and good opportunities.

He almost turned down the position meant for him because he believed I deserved it more.

But I encouraged him to go ahead, because it would have been a waste for him not to accept it, and because I had a different course of action in mind.

I gave him a chance, and he turned me down because of his stupid pride.

That's why what's about to happen...

Would be his own fault.

I delivered a quick punch to his torso, knocking him out.

His loss would be my gain.

I will use him as a springboard to achieve my own dreams.

I hoisted his limp body and placed it atop of my shoulder.

Yes.

Ace had potential.

And he wasted it.

So then...

Why do my own actions hurt so damn bad?


	5. Tough choice

I climbed onto the platform. I sat beside the young man kneeling there. The same young man who I knew since he was a baby.

I stared into the distance with a heavy heart.

The rattling of the chains attached to his wrists hurt more than any wound made by a gun or a blade ever could.

The resigned look on his face broke my heart in two.

I remembered him as he used to be.

Tough and unfazed by everything.

Now, he was none of those things.

He was but a shadow of his former self.

It was as if the newest Shichibukai - Marshall D. Teach - sucked out his will to live itself when he captured him.

He ruined any chances my cute grandson could have had of living.

Of having a family.

With this thought in mind, I allowed the incoming punch to knock me out.

Guess that in the end, when forced to choose between duty and family...

I chose family.

Luffy and Ace would make it out alive and in one piece.

And for the first time in my life, I was happy.

Because I knew that I had made the right choice.


	6. Justice

I approached the prisoner, deliberately going slower than usual.

He had to suffer. He deserved nothing less for being the son of a madman who once terrorized the seas and the common folk alike.

Yet, despite that, he was still a kid.

When I looked at him, I was reminded of Rosinante, my own beloved son who perished during a mission.

I memorized my whole speech, so speaking it to the public and our prisoner alike was easy. And yet, the whole speech felt hollow. Like I didn't even mean it.

Then our prisoner lowered his head low enough to touch the very stone that built up the execution platform, and I found that my mental fortitude was slipping.

"Hey, are you all right?" I blurted out on instinct

I no longer saw Portgas D. Ace, a kid with the evil blood flowing through his veins. Instead, what I saw was Rosinante when he was still a child, with no place to go, crying over his father's death.

A glare from Akainu was enough to break me out of my daze. Right. As despicable as this was, this needed to be done. The kid in front of me needed to die.

No, Portgas D. Ace needed to die.

Even so, Rosinante would never approve of killing a kid for the sins of their father.

But Rosinante was dead.

I motioned for the executioners to begin, and they followed my command.

Nonetheless, the poor kid's empty look would haunt me for the rest of my life.

He was young, far too young.

Too young to die.

But justice had to be carried out.


	7. Duplicity

Rage. Pure rage. That was what coursed through me.

This was Justice, but it was my kind of Justice.

Fifteen years ago, I was a happily married man, with a wife and a son whom I adored.

I had everything, a good job, a stable standing, and most importantly, a loving family.

Then that man came into my life and turned it to shambles.

He killed my wife and my son in cold blood, and he had the gall to call it an accident.

My son would have been twenty by this time, had that bastard not killed him.

And to add insult to injury, that bastard's own son was also twenty years old.

The same age my son would have been had his father not killed him.

So what right did Gol D. Ace have to live when his bastard of a father killed my own son?

None.

So now I'll return the favor.

I will have the pleasure of killing his son, just like he had killed mine.

And I know just how to do it.

After all, he values his little brother above everything else.

If I threatened him, the demon spawn's protective instinct shall kick in, and he'll protect Dragon's son even at the cost of his own life.

And then, he'll play right into my hands.

I'll have him right where I want him.


	8. A father's love

I climbed up, my footsteps making a sound with each step, as my trusted blade also clanked against the stairs as I ascended to the upper deck.

"Long time no see, Sengoku." I called "I trust that my son is all right?"

My words were answered by an incredulous stare from Sengoku and a startled look from Ace. Neither of them expected me to be here.

And it hurt.

It hurt far more than any physical wound ever could.

It hurt to the point where my heart almost broke in two.

Did my son have so little faith in us that he didn't even believe we'd be here in his darkest hour? That he believed we'd just up and abandon him when he needed us the most?

If so, then this was he perfect time to teach him the most important lesson of all.

To teach him that family never abandoned one another, no matter how bleak the situation might seem.

I looked over at the execution platform again. Sengoku was barking orders.

And Ace was completely still, with that look on his face.

The look of someone resigned to his fate.

I felt another presence approach me.

Marco must have seen it too, for he looked me in the eyes, with a concerned expression on his face.

"What do we do, Pops?" I heard him ask

"Gurararara!" I laughed "Let's show my son that he was wrong to doubt us! Lead the charge!"

As Marco followed my orders, I glanced at the four men standing atop the execution platform once again.

Well, to be accurate, only three of them were actually standing.

The fourth one was kneeling, with seastone chains clasped to his wrists, binding him to the platform itself.

The very sight of them made my blood boil.

"We're getting you out of here." I whispered "So don't ever doubt us again."


	9. An outcast

Ever since I was young, I heard various people say the same thing.

That I was someone born of sin.

That I shouldn't have been allowed to exist.

People sneered at the very idea that I was born.

They abhorred the fact that I was even allowed to live.

Of course, they didn't know it was me, and most likely shared their opinion of the general idea, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

Eventually, I accepted their words as truth, and conditioned myself to hide how much those words hurt.

There were few kids my age in the area.

Of course, because of their circumstances, they had to play it tough.

They were also very territorial, and they disliked it when people like me trespassed upon their territory.

Whenever I stumbled upon them, I usually returned with bruises and cuts.

Makino would always treat them.

I dreaded to think what those kids would do when they found out who I really was.

To the world, I was a monster.

I would never belong anywhere.

I was an outcast.

Therefore, I was very suprised when I found people I could call my family fourteen years later.

I was still an outcast to the society at large.

But so were they.

We were happy outcasts together.

And even though I didn't want them to, a part of me was happy that they would stand beside me when the world wanted me dead.


	10. For our Commander

_"Put your back into it!" Ace had yelled "Death could come calling at any time, and you gotta be ready for it!"_

"Get yourselves together, men!" Ryuken, one of the members of Second Division, yelled "Remember what Ace taught us! Let's do it for our Commander's sake!"

"For our Commander's sake!" the other members yelled back

And they charged as one, mercilessly mowing down any Marines in their way.

Ace had been right. Death could come calling swiftly at any moment in their lives.

And now it had come for their Commander.

Well, they were not about to let Death have its way.

"Why do you fight?" a Marine had asked

"Why do we fight?" Ryuken pretended to contemplate "Why, we fight for our Commander. A rather foolish question, if you ask me."

He proceeded to pull out his twin sabres and cut the unfortunate Marine to shreds.

Memories had appeared. Memories of their Commander patting them on the back and praising them for the job well-done. Memories of them drinking with their Commander, as he told them tales of his childhood with a bright grin. Memories of one of their missions together, where their Commander used his Devil Fruit ability to make sure that their enemies regretted ever messing with them.

And now, their Commander was at the mercy of the Marines, and he had only three hours left to live.

A Marine charged at them, eager to put a stop to them. The Marine got lucky, and there was no time to block his attack.

But Ryuken didn't seem fazed. Instead, he just smirked.

 _"Now when someone gets too close to you, you gotta dodge them, like this!"_

 _Ryuken and the others watched in awe as Ace performed a rather impressive flip in midair, landing on his feet once he was done._

Placing his hand on the Marine's back, Ryuken performed the flip with ease, landing behind the Marine and slashing him from behind, preventing him from going after his comrades in the Second Division.

"Marines!" Ryuken shouted

He paused for dramatic effect.

"We of the Second Division..." Ryuken made his declaration "Will rescue our Commander from your clutches! Make no mistake about that!"


End file.
